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(CNN) - The mother of two missing Idaho brothers who have not been seen since September is not cooperating with investigators, police say.
Investigators believe that Lori Vallow, mother of missing brothers Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17, know the location of the children or what happened to them, according to a press release issued on Monday by Rexburg police. The statement says police know the children are not with their mother and husband.
Vallow has refused to work with the police to help find the children and has left the state, according to the statement.
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell.
"It is surprising that, instead of working with law enforcement to help us locate their own children, Lori Vallow has chosen to leave the state with her new husband," the statement said.
A family lawyer issued a statement to East Idaho News on December 23 saying that while he is in contact with Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, he has no information about the children.
“Chad Daybell was a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter. Lori Daybell is a devoted mother and resents claims to the contrary, ”attorney Sean Bartholick told the media. "We hope to address the accusations once speculation and rumors have been overcome."
CNN has contacted Bartholick but has not received a response. No charges have been filed.
The children were not reported missing for two months.
Vallow married Daybell weeks after Daybell's wife, Tammy, was found dead at her Fremont County home on October 19. Tammy Daybell's death was initially attributed to natural causes, but authorities exhumed his remains on December 11. and now they think his death was suspicious. Vallow's husband also died earlier this year, the researchers said.
Police conducted a welfare check for Joshua, Vallow's adopted son with her previous husband, on November 26 after family members expressed concern about not hearing from him. During the welfare check, both Daybell and Vallow told investigators that Joshua was staying with a family friend in Arizona. When police returned the next day to execute a search warrant, Daybell and Vallow had fled the house, according to authorities.
Investigators then determined that Joshua was not taken with them when they fled and that he did not stay at the friend's house. They also discovered that none of Vallow's children had been seen since September.
JJ's grandmother says she prays for the children to be alive. Kay Vallow Woodcock told CNN on Friday that the family has no indication of their well-being, and that there are "some days when we barely function because we fear the worst."
The police firmly believe that the lives of minors are in danger
Police say they learned that Daybell and Vallow told witnesses that Tylee had died a year before his father's death, which investigators say is not true. Daybell told another witness that Vallow had no minor children, according to police. The authorities are now asking Vallow and Daybell to present any information.
"We have taken all the measures available to us, including the execution of multiple search warrants, interviews with multiple sources and exhausting every clue we have found," the statement said. "We firmly believe that the lives of Joshua and Tylee are in danger."
Police say they have not yet filed charges in the case because they are focused on finding Joshua and Tylee. "Our main concern at this time is simply to locate Joshua and Tylee and the charges decisions will be made in due course based on the available evidence," the statement said. "If we discover that these children were harmed within our jurisdiction, we will prosecute who caused the damage."
Madeline Holcombe and Lucy Kafanov of CNN contributed to this report.